Policy on Flag Representation in the ICC
Hall of Cultures
In 1995, the ICC announced plans to hang the flag representing
each international student's place of origin in the former
church sanctuary located within its facility on Dalrymple
Drive. At that time, the ICC solicited funding from student
and community groups, as well as private individuals,
to defray the cost of purchasing and installing the flags.
Later, a student referendum endorsed the designation of
the former sanctuary as the "Hall of Cultures," a
phrase that reflected the hope that the newly-installed
flags would transform the room into "a symbol of
all-around-the-world diversity." In Spring 2001,
the LSU administration asked the ICC Governing Board to
adopt an official policy for the display of flags in the
Hall of Cultures.
The ICC, by the terms of its bylaws, is a cultural resource
for the entire LSU community. The foreword to the bylaws
defines the ICC's mission as consisting, in part, of "programs
that inform international and domestic students and the
community of the uniqueness of the cultural heritage within
the university community." It should be noted that
the ICC exists to promote cultural understanding; it does
not take policy positions on political, religious, or
international relations questions.
Consistent with this philosophy and the original intention
for flag display in the Hall of Cultures, the Governing
Board confirms its desire to display the current flag
of each nation that has (or has had since 1995) one or
more students enrolled at LSU. In cases where the emergence
of a newly recognized country or the redesign of an existing
country's flag may necessitate flag acquisition, the ICC
shall directly purchase the flag in order to ensure design
consistency with the other flags, although the Governing
Board welcomes the financial assistance of those individuals
and groups that may wish to defray such acquisition and
maintenance costs.
For the purpose of this policy, "country" status
shall be determined by the "List of Country Codes" issued
by the United States Department of State and used by LSU
when classifying the origin of international students.
The Governing Board, or its designee, shall periodically
review the flag display in the Hall of Cultures to ensure
that flags conform with the terms of this policy. |
